Legerdemain
by FeistyFox
Summary: He should have known better then to walk into this without a full nights sleep, but here he was and he couldn't very well walk out now. He figured at this point he was fairly well involved.
1. Chapter 1

**Legerdemain **

**Part 1**

Disclaimer: I don't own Tin Man.

"Tin man wake up now!" He groaned at the sound of the viewer on the other side of the door and resisted pulling a pillow over his head to block out the noise.

"Raw, unless someone is dead or about to be come back in the mornin'." It had been a long day. He had spent the majority of it checking to be sure all the nobles that were finally leaving weren't going to be coming back. Security checks on all their luggage, transports, and the guards that would be escorting them was exhausting. All he wanted to do was sleep through the night, but if Furball didn't leave that wasn't going to happen.

"Raw not leave until Cain come." One of his eyes popped open. It was a rare day that the viewer decided to show a little backbone.

Heaving himself out of his bed he grabbed the first shirt he could get his hands on and forced his arms into it as he wrenched the door open. "What?" He growled at the other man. Over the last few months he had become a lot less hostile, and he was usually fairly understanding toward the viewer, but he was tired and apparently no one was about to die. Raw better have a damn good reason for waking him up at this hour.

"Need to go to kitchens."

"You woke me up so I could make you a midnight snack?" Where was his gun? He never should have opened the door without it. He was going to shoot the other man.

The viewer was shifting nervously as his eyes darted between him and the nearest set of stairs. "DG in kitchen."

He looked at the viewer dryly if that were possible. "So?" The girl was probably hungry. He hadn't seen her eat all day. She'd been too busy trying to keep the majority of the newly instated government from overrunning her sister. They had nearly overwhelmed Azkadilla with their congratulations on her new ascension to heir apparent.

Once the younger princess had somehow discover the recording the witch had made of the battle in the tower she had managed to get the glitching advisor to show her how to replicate them. Ambrose had forgotten within minutes but he had found her in a small and disgusting laboratory in the middle of the night with nearly a dozen large crates full of the shiny objects.

She had been standing in front of a bubbling tank watching the scene replay without much interest. The second it was over she had removed a disk, tossed it in a nearly full crate, and inserted another one. When he had asked her what she was doing she had told him she was fixing things. How long she had been 'fixing things' was up in the air, but three days later and every town of any size in the Outer Zone had a disk containing what had happened.

After that the response to the dark eyed princess had been nearly overwhelming. The people thought she was strong to have stayed alive and enslaved for so long and beyond brave for hurling the witch from her body. Within weeks both the princesses were thought of as heroes, but Deeg had somehow managed to fade into the background.

"Cain must go to DG."

He ran his hand through his hair. "Raw, I'm tired. What's the problem?"

"Upset." He waited. "Not sure Raw can help."

"Alright." He tried to get his brain into gear. Deeg was the one person in the O.Z. other than Jeb he would stay awake for right now. "Let me get my gun."

Turning back into his room he put on his holster and finished buttoning his shirt. Sitting on the edge of his bed he tugged on his boots and stood with a n exhausted sigh. Stepping out in the hall he shut his door and shooed the viewer away. "Go to bed, Furball. I know you're as tired as me."

"Raw will sleep. Cain must be careful with DG tonight."

He gave the viewer a sharp look before leaving. He wondered what had the viewer in such a knot. Five minutes later and he found out. He opened the door to the lower kitchen in time to see DG throwing back a shot of what he thought was whiskey. It was hard to judge when all he could see was a brief flash of golden liquid against the light before it disappeared into her mouth. Standing with the swinging door caught in his hand he waited until she set her glass down before entering the room. The last thing he needed was to make her choke.

"Kid?"

Her head swung around and she huffed at him. She was dressed in her Otherside pants and a plain black shirt with her hair up in a high ponytail. Maybe she didn't know it was the middle of the night. "Seriously?" Her entire being conveyed her annoyance with the intrusion.

He eased into the room cautiously as she reached over and snatched a bottle off the wooden table. She poured a rather liberal amount of alcohol, definitely whiskey, into her glass. "Princess, what are you doin'?"

She rolled her eyes as she took hold of the glass with her small hand. "Drinking." With that she tossed down a second shot and he could only admire how easily she took it. She didn't flinch, gag, or cough as she threw back what he could now see was one of the strongest drinks this side of the rainbow. The kid had definitely done this before. He thought that should worry him.

"I can see that." Her usual smile had been replaced with a distracted stare. "Any particular reason?"

"So I can get a hangover." Ah, he had walked into another one of what he had started terming 'DG situations'. They were never safe and he often left more confused than Glitch had been before the kid had shoved his brain back in his head. These situations required two things, patience, which wasn't a problem, and the ability to follow her reasoning. That one was the one that tended to be an issue.

Not only was she working on an entirely different wavelength, she was possibly the most evasive person he had ever met. Sure, she might not look it. She might act innocent and sweet, most of the time she was both, but he had begun to suspect that behind those blue eyes were more secrets and hidden perception than he could contemplate. When she put her mind to it she could wriggle out of any question posed to her before flipping the conversation back on whoever asked. It was like she was three steps ahead of anyone trying to pin her down at all times. It had to be exhausting.

"You _want_ to get a hangover?" He just needed to make sure, because he was fairly certain he might still be asleep and dreaming all this.

"That is my goal." Filling her glass again she drank down the liquid before he could get it away from her. While her head was thrown up toward the ceiling he took three steps toward her and snatched the bottle away. When she set the glass down she looked at him with irritation. "Put it back."

"No." Setting the bottle well out of her reach he pulled out a stool opposite her and sat down.

"Jesus Christ, Cain! Do I barge in on you in the middle of the night and disrupt your activities? Give it back and go to bed!"

That seemed like the worst thing he could do at this point. "I don't think so." She glared at him. He wasn't sure she'd ever done that before. Something was very off here and now that he was with her he needed to figure out what it was. "Why would you want to get yourself sick?"

She rolled her eyes and slid her glass across the table at him. She pointed to the bottle. "If you're going to play bartender at least fill my glass." After a significant hesitation he gave her about half as much as he'd seen her putting in and gave her the drink. She swallowed it in a go. When she was done she twisted the glass around in her hand as she watched the light playing over its surface.

"Bad day, Kiddo?" He didn't know where else to start with this.

She never looked at him. "It was fine. No one got assassinated, or attacked, and everyone loves Az."

Logic was clearly not going to work in his favor tonight. "You're goin' to have to give me somethin' to go on here. You're not the drinkin' type. What are you doin'?"

"How do you know?" The glass was back in front of him before he saw her move. "You've known me for a whopping fourteen months. More please."

"Kid, I watch people for a livin'. Knowin' how to drink doesn't make you a drinker." He drummed his fingers on the table. "You're not gettin' any more until you tell me why you're tryin' to get yourself sick on purpose."

"Because its normal to get a hangover after drinking." She stated this without further explanation and waved her hand at her glass. His eyebrow quirked up even as he gave her another drink.

"Normal?" She swallowed and nodded. He scrambled to understand what her thought process on this one was. "You want a hangover because it's normal?"

"That's what I said." She sighed. "Cain, I'm really going to need that bottle back. You kinda suck at the refill thing."

He ignored her request, too baffled to let this go. "Kid… What are you on about now?"

She exploded. His quiet, sweet, understand princess, lost it completely. "I'm not on about anything! Why can't anyone just leave me alone for one day? Why do I have to explain everything I do all the time no matter what world I'm in?" She stood up and her stool fell over with a clatter. "I can't even sit in a kitchen at three in the morning without you bothering me! Do you all think I'm incapable of surviving by myself for two hours or do you really think I'm a child, because I can't work it out!"

He was going to kill the Furball for sending him after her without more of a warning. "Princess-"

"Would you stop calling me that?" If possible her voice rose even higher. "Heaven forbid anyone call me by my real name! No! I'm always princess, or doll, or spitfire, or angel, or peanut, or kid, or kiddo! I have a name, Cain! I'm not an object, a position, or a pet!"

Good thing she didn't let things like that fester. "If that bothered you all you had to do was say so."

"I have said so!" He was starting to wonder how long she was going to be able to keep this up. He'd never heard this girl raise her voice unless she was screaming for help before and even that had been a rare occurrence. "I've asked you to call me DG at least three times a week since we met! Why won't you?" Her eyes were suddenly glimmering and he nearly panicked. The princess didn't cry. She just…didn't. "Why won't you let me be a person?"

Standing up he edged toward her and she stepped away from him. He had a feeling he was getting closer to the problem but she was trying to remove herself from him. "I hate this place! It's even worse than Kansas! At least there Momster and Popsicle treated me like a human, which is ironic since they were robots! Even if I didn't fit in I could still leave! Now I'm stuck here and surrounded by people that treat me like I'm even less normal than I was on the Otherside!"

"DG-"

She seemed to realize what had come out of her mouth and blinked rapidly as she clamped her mouth closed. A ringing silence settled over the small room and he could tell she was searching for either an escape route or a way to take back what she had said. He saw her start to twist and lunged forward to grab her around the waist before she could dart out of the room. As he dragged her closer she began to squirm in desperation. "Let me go!" Her voice was more demanding than he had ever heard it.

"Not a chance, DG." Managing to press her against his chest he stroked her hair as he started whispering in her ear. "I'm sorry I wasn't listenin'." She shoved at him, but he held her firmly. "I'm sorry you felt like I was treatin' you like a princess and not my friend. That wasn't right or fair of me."

She shoved away from him and staggered back. "Stop it!" Her breathing was ragged as she snarled at him. "I am the princess to you! That's all I've ever been and you just keep pushing me away! I can't do this anymore! One minute you hug me like I might matter and then you go cold on me! Sometimes I wish I'd never met you!" With one last tear filled glare she stormed out of the kitchen and away from him.

He stared at the space she left and felt the sting of her words like a blow to the heart. He hadn't even known he could hurt this much anymore. Then one tearful look from those big blue eyes and it was all he _could_ feel. It was his fault too. She was right. He blew hot and cold with her so often it was amazing she hadn't lost her temper with him long before this.

It wasn't that he meant to, but she had a way of getting close and it scared him. Maybe if hadn't spent the last ten years in that suit watching what he had. But the nightmares were still there and they made him balk at letting her get any closer than she already was. He had been worried if he let her in one of them would wind up getting hurt. It hadn't occurred to him that both of them already were. Running his hand through his hair he walked out of the kitchen after her.

Tracking the girl to her room he knocked and heard a faint rustle, then nothing. She was in there but she wasn't about to come out. If he wasn't likely to be run over by a guard he would have tried to talk his way in but he didn't have that kind of time. With a sigh he turned his holster over and removed a thin wire from the seaming. Inserting it into the lock he twisted it deftly and he heard a click. Tucking the wire away he opened the door while making a mental note to have this lock replaced with a much better one. If he could open it in less than ten seconds there was a problem.

"DG?" He closed the door behind him quietly and searched the dark room with his eyes. She wasn't here. Seeing light shinning under her bedroom door he figured he could talk his way to her without an audience after all. At least this way he would have privacy when he was apologizing. Leaning against the doorframe he tapped on the wood. "Deeg?"

"For god's sake, Cain! Go away!"

"Can we talk about this?"

"No." She snapped stubbornly.

He looked at the closed door. "Deeg, I know you're a person."

"Lucky me." There was a nasty bite to her voice.

"Please, open the door."

"Go to hell."

He was certainly making excellent progress. "That wasn't very nice, Deeg."

"I don't give a flying fuck." Alcohol certainly shook out a few words in her vocabulary.

"All I want to do is talk. Open the door for a second and I'll go away."

"No."

"Then I'm staying out here."

"Fine. Have fun standing there all night."

He resisted the urge to bang his head against the wood paneling. "Deeg, please, open the door."

"No." The volume of her voice had decreased pretty dramatically all at once. He thought he detected wetness in it. "Just come back tomorrow when I feel better. Then we can talk."

"You won't talk to me about this when you feel better. We both know if I come back later you'll pretend this never happened."

"I like that plan."

"I don't. You're unhappy. I don't want you to be unhappy."

"Well, that's unfortunate for both of us."

"What would make you happy?" He asked as he rubbed at the bridge of his nose.

Her answer was immediate. "For you to leave."

Despite himself his lip curled up. "Other than that."

"Nothing. There's no solution."

"Would you stop being stubborn?"

"I don't know how to do that."

"Me neither." He heard a huff of agreement on her side. "Come on, Deeg. You have to give me something to work with. I'm only a man. I can't hope to understand any woman let alone you."

"What is _that_ supposed to mean?"

"It means you have me chasing my own tail on a regular basis. Cut me some slack. Most of the time I don't know which way is up and down with you. I walk in thinking I do then suddenly you convince me otherwise."

There was a significant pause. When she spoke he realized she was trying to end this conversation. It wasn't a subtle hint to be perfectly honest. "I'm sorry I yelled at you. I didn't mean what I said about not wanting to have met you."

"That's good to know. Didn't answer my other question though."

"I'm not answering that."

"Why?"

"Because it makes me a pathetic human being. Will you leave now?"

"No." He crossed his arms. "You've gotten me involved now. I can't walk away."

"I'm going to bed, Cain."

His eyes narrowed when he saw the light turn off. "Deeg, I'm about to loose my temper."

"Because that never happens." She replied sarcastically.

The sound of fabric rustling, which could only be her bedding, had his fuse shortening and he wrestled with his frustration until it was sitting obediently, if rebelliously, in a corner. "I'm sorry about that. It wasn't fair of me to get angry with you when I was angry about other things."

"I know."

He rubbed his temples unable to argue the point. "Please…_please_. Open the door."

To his very great surprise she did. He nearly fell through the suddenly open space as she stood glaring at him. Her temper hadn't cooled in the slightest but the tears that had been threatening to fall were gone. "What?"

"You opened this to get rid of me didn't you?"

"Yes."

He put his hand on the door so she couldn't shut it again and her eyes narrowed in annoyance. "That's better. Now at least we can yell at one another face to face." Her lips pressed together. "What's really the matter, DG?"

"I'm not talking to you about that."

"Why?"

"Because you didn't let me get myself drunk enough. Are we done?"

"No." He held his ground. "It's not healthy for you to try to make yourself sick."

She rolled her eyes. "Can't get trashed can I? Not very princess like."

He assumed that meant drunk. "There are other ways to relax."

"Considering I can't do any of those things that's very helpful advice."

He rubbed his face with his free hand. "Alright, Deeg. I can see this isn't goin' anywhere."

"Are you going to leave then?"

"No." He could tell she was about to hit him. "What is it you think you need to relax other than whiskey?"

"I'm going to bed now, Cain." She stepped back and tried to shut the door. He was too big for her to move. "Damn it! Would you just go? I opened the freaking door! Go away!"

"Would it make you feel better if we went out ridin' tomorrow?"

"It would make me feel better if you left me alone!"

"We both know you don't mean that."

Her jaw set and he knew this wasn't going to get any more pleasant than it already was. "So now you can read my mind?"

He tried to backpedal. "That isn't what I-"

"It's exactly what you meant!" She snapped. "Mr. Tin thinks he has all the answers!" Mr. Tin? That was a new one, he actually kind of liked it, it was certainly better than some of the nicknames he had amassed over the years. He opened his mouth, but she jumped back into the rant she had started in the kitchen. "You can't just listen to the words coming out of my mouth and take them at face value! No, you have to be a smart ass about it! I am so sick of you telling me how you assume I'm feeling! Believe it or not I'm not the social butterfly you seem to think I am! I like to be by myself! I like the quiet! We actually have that in common!"

"We have more than that in-"

"Stop interrupting me!" He closed his mouth as amusement rippled through him despite the situation. Maybe he should let the girl do this more often. It was rather fun to watch. She was like an exploding engine. "God! You drive me absolutely crazy! You can't even let me yell at you can you? You have to be all logical and calm about it! You won't yell back either! What's the point of having an argument?"

"You want me to yell at you?"

"No!" He was lost again, or perhaps he was simply more turned around than he imagined because since the viewer had woken him up he had never known what was going on. "I want you to leave me alone! It's pointless! You come here and then stare at me! If you want to fight with me then fight with me! I'm so sick of you just staring at me when something happens! I might as well yell at my reflection in the mirror!"

"Starin' at you?"

"Don't act like that isn't what you do! At least if you were fighting I would know you were feeling something! Instead you stand there and look at me! Stop it!"

"I'm not entirely sure what it is you want me to do." He admitted, hoping by some miracle she would give him some firm direction in which to travel.

"I just told you!"

"Look, I'm not goin' to yell at you."

"What?" Her eyes flashed. "You don't listen at all!" She turned and went into her bedroom, abandoning her quest to shut the door.

He let out a sound of utter frustration and walked in after her. "Deeg."

"I'm done with you." She waved her hand toward the door. "Be gone."

"You think tellin' me to leave in a different way will work?"

"Apparently not." She yanked her hair out of the ponytail and her curls tumbled down around her shoulders. "But I'm going to sleep now. I'm sick of you."

He huffed out a laugh. "At least you got sick from somethin'."

Wrong thing to say, he knew because she chucked a pillow at him. It hit his head and he out an oaff. "I hate you."

There was no conviction in her voice at all. She kicked her shoes off and he edged closer after he picked up the pillow. Tossing it on the bed he held his hands up peacefully. "Are you done pickin' a fight now?"

"You started this!"

"All I did was come down to the kitchen. You're the one that started yellin'."

"You made me!"

"I didn't make you do anything." Her eyes were flashing again as he started to debate with her. "You needed to let off some steam. I get it."

"Stop trying to be understanding! I don't want to be understood!"

His eyes softened. "Yes, you do." She shot him a disgusted glance and he caught her hand. She tried to shake him off but he held her firmly. "It's been rough the last few weeks. I've been here too. Don't start diggin' your heels in with me. It won't get you anywhere. I'm probably the only one in the O.Z. that's as stubborn as you."

"Lucky me." She tugged and he tugged back. He won her arm and the rest of her as well. She stumbled into his chest and he caught her. She looked up at him with a glint in her eyes. "Congrats, you caught me. Pity you don't have the slightest idea what to do with what you have." That snapped him into alertness. He searched her face and she simply stared back at him, waiting. His arms loosened but she didn't move. "Coward."

His eyes flashed and his arms tightened back around her. When she was pressed against his chest he caught the back of her neck and held her still. "Name callin' isn't goin' to get me to leave."

"Will it get you to stay?" His fingers twitched at the sudden insightful question. He didn't know what she was doing. She was either trying to scare him off or do the exact opposite of that. Her eyes glittered with smug amusement when she saw him struggling to work this out. In that instant he knew she had somehow played this entire situation. She had tricked him somehow, somewhere along the line, and he was at a loss as to where or when it had happened, or what her goal was now that she had him snared.

"What're you doin', Deeg?" He asked warily.

"I'm standing in my bedroom." She continued to watch him, noting his sudden awareness of the situation she'd shoved him into. "I think the question you really need the answer to is why you're in here with me."

"We're havin' an argument." He didn't hesitate to answer.

She raised an eyebrow. "No, we're not." She assessed him. "But you are getting angry."

Yes, he was. "Stop runnin' me in circles."

"No." He tightened his hand around her neck a fraction and her eyes hooded. "All you have to do is let me go and leave, Wyatt."

"That's what you want."

"Maybe." She was driving him crazy. He couldn't get a handle on what was going through her head. Hell, he didn't know what was going through his. "Maybe not. Maybe I'll get what I want either way." He growled and her lip curled up at the corner. "Horrible isn't it? Not knowing what the right answer is."

"Why are you playin' with me?"

"Why are you letting me?" The girl was too smart for her own good and definitely too smart for his. "Apparently, I'm not the only one that likes to be understood. How far am I going to have to push you? How far do you want me too?"

"You can't even imagine what you'd have to do to get me to snap, Deeg."

She laughed softly. "I know exactly what I have to do. Does that scare you?"

"You don't scare me."

"Yes, I do." She leaned her head back, exposing the pale column of her neck in the moonlit room. "The same way you scare me. Only difference is I've accepted it." She looked at him from under her lashes. "So what's it going to be? Are you going to leave me alone or take me to bed?" His entire body went rigid at the options she threw out and still she goaded him. "You can only pick one. Which one?"

"You've been drinkin'."

She looked him dead in the eye. There was no anger or surprise. "There's always an excuse for you isn't there?" His eyes flashed even as she continued. "Leave then."

"No."

"Then take me to bed."

"There are other options."

"Not for us there aren't. Stop staling. Either let me go or take me to bed."

Damn it. Damn it. Damn it. He searched her eyes. This was a horrible idea. It was going to blow up in his face no matter what he did. He'd wake up tomorrow and she'd pretend nothing happened if he took her to bed and if he left everything would change between them, the trust would be gone and he knew it. Making up his mind he pressed his lips over hers and she pressed against him. Deeg moaned against him and he tangled his fingers in her curls. Pulling back he growled at her. "I'm not lettin' you pretend like this didn't happen in the mornin'. We do this and you're mine. I'm not a quick fix."

"You better give me something to remember then."

His eyes flashed at the challenge and he picked her up off the ground. "You're too damn sassy." Tossing her on the bed he moved between her legs and unfastened her pants before she could sit up.

"Not for you." She stated.

He tore his holster off and crawled over her. He caught her lips in a searing kiss and ground his hips into hers before answering. "No, not for me."

Author Note: I'm alive! Sorry about the wait on anything new. I'm working on Catalyst right now but thought a little two or three-parter would keep you going until then. Sorry about the absence. I moved states and am starting grad school. It's amazing how life can run you over. Enjoy and leave me a review! I love them!


	2. Chapter 2

**Legerdemain **

**Part 2**

Disclaimer: I don't own tin man.

His eyes flashed at the challenge and he picked her up off the ground. "You're too damn sassy." Tossing her on the bed he moved between her legs and unfastened her pants before she could sit up.

"Not for you." She stated.

He tore his holster off and crawled over her. He caught her lips in a searing kiss and ground his hips into hers before answering. "No, not for me."

She threw her head back and arched up into him sharply. Her hands began yanking at his shirt as he tangled his hand in her hair. Holding her still he trailed his lips down her throat, licking and nipping as he went. Deeg let out a sharp breath as her hands went clumsy and desperate. The sound of tearing reached his ears and he realized she'd accidently torn a few of his buttons off as she tried to get his shirt out of his pants. Apparently they weren't going to be taking their time about this. The kid was literally ripping his clothes off and he could feel his own arousal spiraling out of control.

Something in him roared to life all at once, something he hadn't had contact with in longer than he could remember, and he clutched at her. No sooner had he gotten a grip on her than she flipped them, dislodging his hands. Suddenly, she was on top of him and kissing him hotly as she straddled him. Growling at getting bested by her yet again he grabbed the back of her neck and forced her to bend down to his level. Nipping at his lip in retribution had his eyes snapping fully open. Spotting the challenge in her he rolled them again so he was over her.

When she glared up at him he laughed softly into her mouth. "Tryin' to get the high ground?" She rolled her leg in an effort to get on top of him again but this time he was ready. He threw his body against hers and won out easily, he simply had a weight advantage, and even with the training the headcase had given her she wouldn't win out, not with him ready to counter. She tried to throw him over again and he simply absorbed the energy she expended with practiced ease. Not wanting to fight with her anymore, and seeing she was set on just that, he tried to diffuse her. "Enough." He ran his hand over her side gently, wanting to get her out of this mindset and into a better one. He was all for seeing this through, but there was no need to be combative about it. "I refuse to fight with you anymore tonight."

When she opened her mouth to volley back he hushed her again, fighting back his baser instincts so he could focus on what he really wanted. Stretching out he pulled her against him gently, settling beside her so they were on even ground, thinking the physical shift would help motivate a mental one as well. Slipping one arm below her he tugged her closer and began to kiss her the way he had been wanting to for so long now. He managed to pull a moan out of her and he tightened his hold on her incrementally as her arms went around his shoulders. As soon as he felt her responding the way he wanted his free hand went up and he started to stroke her hair back out of her face. Her breath caught in her throat and he nuzzled at her cheek gently with his as he kissed the side of her mouth, her eyelids, and her nose.

Just when he was getting her settled into an easy pattern of touching and affection she surged in his arms a second time. He grunted in surprise as she got the rest of his shirt loose and then figured going against her instincts right now was a bit like fighting a travel storm. There was no way to do it and she'd throw him wherever the hell she felt like. Taking this, and her, for what it was, he allowed her to set the pace she wanted this time. Maybe after the first time he'd manage to get his way about this. Besides, it wasn't like he wasn't getting what he wanted too.

"Dead set on getting' your way tonight aren't you?" He asked with some amusement and no little exasperation.

Her only answer was a hot kiss and he supposed at least her aggression had vanished, some of it at any rate. Lowering the arm he had around her he pulled her over him before sitting them up. DG took advantage of the change in position immediately. Reaching out she shoved his shirt down his shoulders and he helped her, shrugging out of the garment. As he was tossing the fabric away her face lowered to the base of his neck and she kissed and nipped at his skin. Groaning in approval he ran his hands over her back encouragingly, reveling in the contact. No one had touched him like this in so long it had his head spinning like mad.

When she lifted her face away from him he kissed her deeply as he took hold of the bottom of her shirt and tugged it up in question. She lifted her arms up over her head at once and allowed him to take the top off. As soon as her skin was exposed he ran his hands over it lightly, marveling in how soft it was as his sense of touch went nearly out of control. He was sure the girl had no idea what he was experiencing at this moment, she was caught up in her own sensations, but he was close to overloading. It wasn't only the knowledge of where this was going either, it was simply the newness of it, or possibly the renewing of what he knew was supposed to be normal. This was by far and away the longest he had been in contact with anyone in over a decade. The most he had touched anyone since she let him loose was when he hugged either the kid or his son. This was so much more that his mind was reeling.

"Kid." He groaned softly.

"That's not my name." She said breathily, but he detected a hint of desperation in her voice as she went back to kissing his chest, her body going taught even as she loved on him.

Cursing himself for that misstep he grabbed her neck and pulled her face back up so he could kiss her again. "DG." He corrected when they broke apart. He said her name again as he twisted and laid them back on the bed. "My DG."

A little breath left her at that territorial pronouncement and she ran the flats of her hands down his chest and abdomen until she reached his pants. As she struggled with the fastening he reached behind her shoulders. It took him a moment to work out this odd corset she was wearing, but he got it after a little bit of a struggle. They finished at about the same time; he figured getting pants open from the opposite direction she was used to was what threw her, that or the lust. Leaning his head down he kissed her shoulder as he moved the strap off. When it was loose Deeg rolled to her knees and slipped off the bed. Realizing what she was doing he got up after her and grabbed at her trousers as she let the corset fall to the floor. It only took a few sharp tugs to get the rest of her clothing off and she didn't even give him a chance to admire her before returning the favor.

As soon as they were both naked she was pressed up against him and kissing him hungrily. Twisting them around he laid her back on the bed. A shiver ran all the way down her as he crawled over her and she clutched at him, finding his lips with hers. Kissing her hard he reached down and spread her legs as he murmured her name again. He couldn't wait for this and it had been so long for him his entire body was screaming for him to take her as her hips cradled his, and he could feel the heat rolling off her. He needed her, right now. Deeg kissed him back eagerly and he thrust inside her quickly, feeling like every good sensation possible was hitting him all at once. She let out a pained cry at the same time he felt himself shove roughly past a barrier he had assumed wasn't there. He froze immediately, his mind doing confused back flips and scrambling in a panic as he realized what had happened in a flash. The kid bucked under him in an effort to escape the pain and he moved his arm down to hold her still. Guilt, surprise, and worry hit him hard enough for him to regain control of his own body as everything grinded to a halt.

"Stop movin'." He said roughly, his state getting the better of his normally controlled tone. This was not the way this should have happened at all. Frustrated anger over her latest stunt tried to take over, but he pushed it down, pushed everything down. Loosing his temper wasn't going to help and he knew she was hurting and most likely half scared out of her wits over the way this was going. He had been anything but gentle with her and hadn't even tried to prepare her for this. He'd taken no time getting her ready at all. Hell, this hadn't been gentle or slow. He was so caught up with her, and the pace she set, that the thought of slowing down hadn't crossed his mind for more than a second or two. The idea that she might still be a virgin had never entered his thoughts at all. Internally he cursed viciously at this whole situation. Externally he began to assuage her, as strained as his voice was, as he tried to focus on anything but how tight and hot she was. "It's okay. Be still for me."

She whimpered unhappily and he pulled out of her carefully. Her legs clenched around his waist and he felt her go stiff. He was sure she was afraid he was going to push back in and hurt her again. He ran his hand down her side as he moved off her. "Easy, Darlin'. Just be easy." She let out a short breath as her legs curled up against her body. Cupping her face he kissed her gently as the entire atmosphere around them shifted dramatically. Her whole body was quivering and he wanted to calm her down and reassure her.

For the first time in a long time he saw panic in her eyes. "I'm sorry."

Scolding her was hardly going to help at this point. "It's okay." He slipped his hand between her legs and she tried to wiggle away from him. "Everything's fine. Be still."

"It hurts." She responded, her voice nothing but a mortified whisper, and he figured her plotting had nastily and royally backfired on her. He rather wished this had happened at a different time and in an utterly different sort of situation, but she'd hardly asked his opinion on the matter.

"I'm goin' to make it stop." He promised soothingly as he started to rub her carefully. A few moments later and her breath caught in her throat. Cradling her against his side he continued to stroke her as he found her lips, taking the reaction as a positive sign. After a minute she started to relax against him. Her hands came up to rest on his chest and her body started to loosen up. "Better?"

She nodded and pressed her face into his shoulder, avoiding his eyes at all costs. Slowly, he dipped a finger inside her and she hissed at the intrusion. Dipping his head he kissed her again, trying to distract her from the discomfort. This was going to hurt regardless of how gentle he was. It had hardly helped that he'd already broken through her barrier, and roughly on top of it. "I know." He cooed at her. "Try to relax. It'll stop soon."

Her arms wrapped around his shoulders at his promise and she kissed him even as she shook. She started to respond to him at a snails pace but she did eventually start to loosen up. He continued to kiss her as he pressed another finger inside of her and she shuddered. When she let out a breathy moan he felt a bit better about the entire situation. "That's my girl." He whispered into her ear. "Come for me."

Her inner muscles began to clamp around his fingers and he stretched his thumb out to hit her clit. Deeg went stiff in a rush as a sharp cry fell from her lips. He kept her on her high as long as he could and her nails dug into his upper arms. He let the slight stinging pain wash over him and it got him further under control, not that he needed much help after the fright she'd given him. When she started to go limp he kissed her like she was water and he was dying of thirst, and she clutched at him. When her legs started to inch up around his hips he caught one and slid it back down.

As soon as the girl realized he was stopping them from moving forward she whispered his name. "Wyatt?" Her voice was laced with confused embarrassment.

"Shhh." He ran his hand over her side gently, wanting to get her calmed down. This was supposed to be a reassuring experience, something that bound them together, it wasn't supposed to be desperate, or confrontational, or painful. "A little at a time, Darlin'. You don't have to rush headlong into everything."

She panted as she stared up at him in the darkness. After a moment she spoke. "If I don't rush you won't move. You'll just stand on the ledge forever waiting for something to happen."

"I think you've successfully pushed me over the edge, DG." His hand slid up to her jaw and he leaned his head down to kiss her cheek. "Do you think we can slow down now that I'm in free fall?"

Something wary passed over her that had him on alert again. He wasn't sure how much more of this he could take without loosing his mind. "If you think I'm throwing you a rope to escape with you're out of your tin plated mind."

Despite himself he almost laughed. There was no rope, magical or otherwise, that stood a chance of foiling her plans for him. He saw that well enough. He kissed her again, shifting her so she was cradled against him. "I'm not goin' anywhere, but that was a bit of information I could have used before we started this." She flushed and looked away from him, loosing her nerve. Catching her face he turned her back to him and kissed her gently. "Now why wouldn't you have mentioned that?"

"Ledge." She muttered.

He really had no idea what to do with her. "You keep throwing me, Deeg." He murmured as he kissed her carefully. "You've got to stop. I didn't want to hurt you or scare you, but I can't do right by you if you're keepin' secrets and runnin' me in circles on purpose."

"It was going to hurt anyway." She said.

He let out a breath. "It wasn't supposed to be like that." He wasn't going to be out stubborned at this point, not about this. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine." She said quietly, still avoiding his eyes.

He wasn't buying that for a second. Twisting his head he found her gaze and held it steadily. It didn't take her more than a second to start to squirm and he knew, for the first time all night, he could actually pin her to something. The kid ran headlong and full force at anything that scared her so she wouldn't have to think about it. Blasting into it simply let the whole thing happen and she could deal with the repercussions later. She watched him warily as he studied her and he was suddenly struck by the wish that she had come with some sort of users manual. He supposed it was a bit late to send her back to the factory and get a new version that came with paperwork. He was rather fond of her odd little quirks at this point, no matter how crazy they drove him.

With a mental acknowledgement of doting fondness he shifted so he was half over her and propped himself up on his elbow. She went stiff again and he hushed her. "Relax, DG. I'm not goin' to do anything you don't want me to do."

Despite her nervousness, and now that he knew it was there it was easy enough to see, she got sassy again. "I think it's pretty obvious what I want you to do."

Suddenly feeling as if he were the one in control he raised an eyebrow. "Deeg, you don't have the first clue what it is you're after."

She flew back into the offensive in a flash, but this time she didn't manage to send him scattered to the four winds. "Just because I've never-" He cut her off with a kiss and her words trailed off in a disjointed mumble that quickly turned into a moan as he settled his hand back between her legs.

He lifted his head as he began to rub her up again and her breathing hitched hard. "I do admire your dedicated persistence in trying to get it though."

Her hands clutched at his biceps and she whimpered, this time in a good way. "Cain."

"It's Wyatt, DG."

"Yes-" She agreed breathlessly as she started to squirm.

"Say it then." He coaxed encouragingly as she started to tense up.

"I-"

"That's not my name, Deeg. It starts with a different letter." The sudden turning of tables had him near to giddy. He couldn't remember a time with her that he was sure he had the upper hand, figuratively of course. Even as he considered that might not make him the nicest man in the O.Z. he thought he was owed a little something after her surprise.

"Wyatt, please!" She nearly wailed and he smirked as he dipped his head down to nip at her neck. When she pleaded again he gave into her, figuring he could tease her more later. Dipping one of his fingers inside her he crooked it up to find that spongy spot inside her while he continued to tease her clit with his thumb. She unraveled so fast he barely managed to hang onto her as she jerked below him. Staying with her gamely he tickled the inside of her until her body gave out on her.

Wiping his hand on the sheet as she recovered he watched her with avid interest. When those cornflower eyes of hers fluttered back open the flush that was covering her from her orgasm only deepened as she caught him staring. Taking pity on her he lowered his head and kissed her deeply. Her hands came up and ran up over his shoulders and to his back. Going slowly he coaxed her lips open and tangled his tongue with hers, mimicking what he wanted to do with other parts of her. She moaned into him and he shifted a little, pressing closer to her. Nipping at her lip he retreated entirely so he could talk. "Do you want to try this again?" He asked quietly.

For the first time all night she seemed at a loss for words, nodding slightly. Smiling, he cupped her face for a moment, kissing her sweetly. When he bumped his nose against hers, wanting some sort of verbal agreement, he saw her gulp a little and lick her lips. "Nervous." She whispered so softly he barely heard her.

"We can stop." He managed to say and mean, despite the near agonizing pain he was in from the lust and want she'd made him feel so strongly. "That's okay if it's what you want."

"I don't want to stop." Her voice dropped again. "But I'm nervous."

He kissed her again, long and slow. "You have to let me take care of you this time. Stop fightin' me for a little while and trust me."

"I do trust you." She said with such honest conviction that he wondered why they kept butting heads.

He was physically restraining himself from dying he was sure, but he had to know something. "Why won't you let me see it then?"

Reaching up she grabbed his face and pulled it down to hers so their lips were just barely brushing. "I'm not sure how else to show you." She murmured against him, her voice low and strained.

Good point. He'd give her this one. Pressing down the few centimeters separating them he kissed her again and nudged her legs apart carefully. After a brief moment of hesitation she spread her legs open for him and he crooned at her reassuringly. "I promise I'll make you feel all kinds of good. Just relax and let me take care of you this time." She nodded again and kissed him. He returned it gently as he eased carefully inside her. She was silent this time, but he could see the discomfort in her face all the same. Scrabbling for control he curled his toes against the blankets as he slid fully inside her. Muttering a low curse under his breath he set his forehead against hers and moved his arms so he was holding her as he kept himself up. DG quivered below him and her fingers dug into his back, sending a slight sting through him. "Okay?" He managed.

"It still hurts, but not as bad."

He nodded and kissed her, fighting to stay still. "Give it a minute and it'll stop."

She nodded again and he kissed her. He was thankful it didn't take her long to relax below him, her hands unclenching as one of her legs crooked up on its own, because he honestly wasn't sure how much more he could take. Keeping his lips against hers he began to rock his hips into hers slowly. Her breath caught quietly but she didn't ask him to stop or show more than minimal discomfort. A few minutes later and he knew there was nothing on her mind but pleasure. She was letting out soft hitching breaths as he moved and running her hands over him encouragingly. Letting out a choked little laugh he kissed her hard and increased his pace. Small noises began to fall from her and he moved one of his arms down to grab at her hip.

As much as he wanted to draw this out he simply wasn't going to be able to this time. He was amazed he'd made it this long without loosing control, but he was nearing his end. Long lost sensations began to get the better of him and he simply couldn't fight it off much longer. Extending his thumb he shifted his hips enough to for him to touch her center and she jerked under him hard. He began to mutter encouragements into her ear, urging her forward as a tidal wave began to wash over him. He lost his pace all at once, his hand jerking against his will, and she let out a strangled cry as she went stiff all over. The last of his worries gone with her release he let himself go. White-hot pleasure tore through him and he pressed into her as deeply as he could as he was bowled over.

Loosing all track of time he shook over her, clutching at her hip as they pressed against one another. Sensations other than mind-blowing wonderful began to penetrate his fogged mind slowly. He felt his heart beating hard in his ears and his breathing come out in short, labored pants. He felt new scratch marks on his back where the kid had marked him as she lost her own mind. He felt her warm, slick body below him as she lay slumped and spent trying to regain her own senses, and smelled the lust and sex rolling off both of them. Kissing her languidly he rolled off her and collapsed on the mattress next to her, barely managing to tug the blanket over them before going still. DG twisted with obvious effort and tucked herself against him, using his shoulder as her pillow. Crooking his arm around her he went still as her breathing evened out and she drifted off to sleep against him. He supposed, given the circumstances, they were going to have to talk about this in the morning when she felt better. He glanced down at the top of her head sleepily. Yeah, she was going to send him spinning off the edge again. No doubt about that.

Author Note: Yay! So many nice reviews! I missed you guys too! I forgot how much fun it was to write I've been so busy. I feel much better about life now ;)


	3. Chapter 3

**Legerdemain **

**Part 3**

Disclaimer: I don't own Tin Man, I just feel like I belong in the O.Z.

The sun woke him up a little at a time, the brightness and warmth of it increasing incrementally until he couldn't ignore it anymore. His eyes opened slowly as he adjusted to the brightness and he turned his face away from the light. His nose hit something soft and he went momentarily stiff until he remembered where he was. Deeg was tucked up against his side and sleeping peacefully. He relaxed back into the blankets and took her room in now that he could see it. It was still early morning and he knew no one would be bothering them for at least a few hours, not after the day they'd had yesterday. He'd be surprised if anyone bothered them at all today actually.

His eyes traveled over the room slowly, noting the mess her small vanity was in, amused that it was covered in art supplies instead of the normal feminine oddities. Beside it and right next to the large window facing the lake an oddly lopsided easel sat waiting to be either used or repaired. By the way it looked one of the screws must have fallen out and hadn't yet been fixed, he blamed the chaos of the last few weeks far more than the kid. She knew how to use tools, not add extra time to the day. Behind the easel were six or seven finished canvas that he would very much like to get a better look at. DG did have a talent, though she never showed it off.

The only reason he even knew about it was because he had once found her covered in paint, which had fallen all over her and her art as she was working, and she was desperately trying to save her painting using something in Glitch's workshop. He still wasn't sure exactly what the goo was, wasn't even sure it was for removing anything, but it had worked in getting rid of the unwanted paint. He had snuck in behind her, looking for the headcase at the time, when he spotted the still wrecked image on one of the long tables in the room and Deeg tearing things out of cabinets with one minded focus as she balanced precariously on a spinning stool. How she hadn't broken her neck was a miracle he wasn't going to question. What he did question was how she managed to spill fresh paint all over something from the gallery in the lower floors of the palace, still unaware it was hers. She had promptly told him he wasn't funny and began to dab at the piece anxiously. Fifteen minutes later and she had saved it as he watched quietly and let out a relieved breath.

Stepping next to her shoulder he had gazed at the image of the rooftop gardens, recognizing her favorite corner of it that was taken over by a small weeping apricot tree, something she swore up and down didn't exist on her side of the rainbow, and a small pond covered in lily pads. On closer inspection he realized the whole thing was actually a great many dabs of paint on top of one another, as if the artist had dripped the paint down like rain. The closer he got to it the less it looked like a painting and the farther away he moved the more cohesive it was. He was downright floored by the concept, something he had never seen or heard of before, and picked it up by the back frame very carefully as she put away the goo and had her back to him.

When she found him touching it she had nearly had a fainting spell. "What are you doing?" He looked up at the sound of her hyperventilating.

"Lookin'." He said simply, turning back to the image and moving it closer and farther away from him so he could study the difference. "Never seen anything like this before."

"It's still wet!" She fussed, taking it from him carefully and setting it back on the table. "It took me four weeks to make! Don't smudge it!"

He gazed at her blankly for a moment. "You _made_ that?"

A dry look had followed that question. "Either that or I'm possessed by an artisan and wasn't aware. Quick, get Az to melt them out of me."

He ignored her sarcasm. "This is amazin', kid."

She eyed the painting critically. "Well, it's alright I guess." Shrugging she picked it up with more care than he'd ever seen her exhibit.

"Alright?" He wanted to know what her standards were. "Do you have anymore?"

She simply shrugged, giving him a total non-answer, and walked out of the room. "I need to put this away. See you at dinner."

That had been eight months ago and the one and only painting he'd seen. He managed to catch a few quick peeks at her sketches, but those had all been fast and secretive when she left him alone for a few minutes near one of her books. Why she was guarding them so closely was up in the air, but he supposed it was yet another mystery he would have a chance to solve now. The girl was talented, more than she thought, and he had been trying to work out a way to get her to show that off in the gallery at Central City. Her parents owned the place, he figured she deserved to have a little corner of it to herself for a month or so, and besides she was using techniques he knew no one on this side was.

He thought shaking up the emerging art community, which was still trying to rebound from the media suppression the witch had enacted, might like a little bit of shaking. Artists were a bit odd that way, one of the few professions that would leap at new things with ravenous hunger instead of trying to force a change away. After nearly fifteen years of being completely controlled by the government he'd met more than one artisan that was literally ravenous at the freedom they suddenly had again. The outpouring of the art culture had been staggering over the last year to say the least.

Moving on he saw her wardrobe was closed up tight and the rest of her room was neat and tidy, nearly meticulous in fact, much like her outer room always was. He wondered what else was hiding in here, figuring there were at least five or six more puzzles for him to work out tucked away in the ordinary places people hid things away. Shifting slightly he spooned up around the kid as she slept on and dedicated his waking mind to figuring out how to handle her once she woke up. He had no doubt in his mind that as soon as she got her bearings he would be doomed.

Since he was sure this was true, he came to a simple conclusion. He'd have to keep her from getting her feet firmly under her, at least until he was sure he had some say in this whole situation. Until she acknowledged that he was going to be a part of this, as opposed to a means to an end or a bystander, he was going to have to do some quick mental work. Keeping up with her was a daunting concept, getting ahead of her was going to be damn near to impossible, but he figured he'd give it a go anyway. At the very worst he'd simply have to keep her pinned to the bed while they talked this out. Possibly not the nicest way to go about it, but that was too damn bad. If she were going to be as stubborn as a mule about this he would happily adopt the same mindset.

No sooner did he think that than the kid shifted under his arm and started to come awake. He leaned in and kissed the back of her neck and a shiver tore all the way down her body at the scintillating sensation. A soft, sleepy sigh of contentment came out of her and he smiled slightly as he watched the late morning sunlight playing over the bare skin of her shoulders and upper back that were peeking out from under the blanket. He wrapped one of her curls around his fingers, letting the tips brush her exposed skin as he spoke. "Good mornin'."

At the sound of his voice whispering next to her ear she jolted all over, her eyes snapping open. "Cain?" She asked with real confusion, her sleeping mind trying to catch up to the situation.

He made sure to keep her tripped up. "It was Wyatt last night." In that instant he saw and felt her panic, and he had never seen such a controlled panic in all his life. While he certainly wanted her to agree to his way of thinking he didn't want her acting like this. Turning her over he kissed her quickly, trying to send her from panic to something else. He really didn't have any interest in scaring her, he hadn't been lying about that. Sliding his hand down her body under the blanket had her relaxing slightly as he sent pleasant sensations running all the way down her. When he pulled away he smirked at her slightly. "Or did you forget?"

She flushed, but kept her chin up and held his gaze. "I didn't forget-"

"Good." He said, nipping at her lower lip briefly. "Then you should know exactly what I want to talk about."

"I thought the summit went rather well myself." She said, trying to roll out from under his arm. "I suppose the menu could have had more variety-"

He dragged her back against him. "No."

"You thought it was fine?" She shrugged. "Maybe I thought that because I wanted some chocolate somewhere."

"DG." He warned, realizing he was already rapidly loosing control.

"Yes, Cain?" She asked with no hint that anything at all was strange or odd about this whole situation. As if she often woke up with him naked, not that he would mind that becoming normal, but he needed to stay on task here.

He narrowed his eyes and he saw her revving up for a continuation of her evasions when a thought struck. Since there was no way to out subtle her he thought he should try the opposite, dead blunt. Reaching down he caught the sheet that was tangled around them under the blanket and pulled at it. Taking a handful he held it up near her face so she could clearly see the small blood stain on it. "This is what I want to talk about."

"The thread-count on my sheets?"

His temper began to get the better of him as he let the fabric go. "DG!"

"What?" She snapped defensively. "What is there to say?"

"You are driving me absolutely straight up the wall." He growled before kissing her near to senseless. Why her rebellious attitude was turning him on was something he would really need to think about, and most likely before this went any farther. DG wasn't helping him gain control though; her small delicate hands began to trace him as she pressed up against him. Slipping his arm around her side he tucked her below him and she moaned softly into his mouth. With a groan of regret he pulled away after kissing her face all over, knowing she would continue to distract him until he forgot what it was they needed to talk about. "I can't do this with you again until you talk to me, DG."

The kid clearly wasn't taking him at his word because she leaned up and sucked on his neck with just the right amount of pressure to have his eyes rolling back in his head. He was suddenly fairly certain she had at least some experience with men or she wouldn't know how to do that. His hand flattened over her side and inched up toward her breast, touching as much of her as he could as he all but plastered her against him. "Wyatt." She murmured just behind his ear.

The sound of his name brought him back from the edge. "No, DG." He shoved himself up and off her, taking the blanket with him, needing to put some space between them or she would have him without a doubt. She let out a frustrated breath as she pulled the sheet over herself securely and sat up. For a woman that was so eager to have him she certainly was being shy about her body. The odd combination was throwing him off, sending him to unstable ground once again. If all she wanted was him back between her legs she would have dropped the sheet. The confusion had his former goal of getting answers solidifying to a whole new extent. "We're talkin' about this."

"Fine." She relented, noting him digging his heels in and watching him. When he didn't say anything she raised her eyebrow in an eerily familiar manner he knew she'd picked up from him. "Well?"

He watched her as if she were playing some sort of trick before deciding she wasn't. "Tell me what was goin' through that head of yours last night." She shrugged; feigning disinterest, but he sensed a great deal going on under her serene veneer. It wasn't that he could see it in her face, but he was good at picking up on body language and hers was all over the place. She almost looked as if she were straining to keep herself from crawling onto him, and not in a way that would end up with both of them crying out in ecstasy. He had been worried she was going to run on him, but now he was reconsidering that as he watched her silently wanting reassurance. Moving closer to her again he looped his arm around her and put her where she obviously wanted to be. "You behave." He warned as he leaned back against the headboard and held her securely in his lap.

"I'm not a loaded gun about to go off." She said as she adjusted a little, as if saying that would have him lowering his guard.

He snorted at that. "No, you're a mage bent on driving me mad." He kissed her forehead to negate the sting of the statement. Despite his concern over her trying to avoid this whole situation she was actually relaxing like this. Interested in this response to simple physical contact he rubbed her back easily, and to his very great surprise she was much more open all at once.

"I didn't know how else to go about this." She said, answering his earlier question without any verbal prompting at all even though she tucked her head onto his shoulder so she wouldn't have to look at his face as she confessed.

"And talking to me never occurred to you?" He asked as he tucked her hair back behind her ear and began to stroke his fingers over her head.

"Of course it occurred to me, but you would have taken off." She shook her head into his skin. "You would have walked out as soon as you knew what I wanted. You never would have talked about it, not really."

He was angry, briefly, that she was right about that. He would have stopped her the moment he knew what she was hinting at, playing it off as a simple and inevitable extension of their close friendship that would eventually fade away. Clearly, the kid wasn't going to take any of his bullshit. Once again he found her mindset exhausting. "So you tricked me?"

"Tricked is such a strong word." She said, playing with the edge of the sheet. "I simply limited your options to a rather extreme degree."

He huffed at that. "Limited my options to a rather extreme degree." He repeated in real amusement. "You certainly did that. Do I need to do the same thing with you?"

"What?" She asked with alarm.

"It worked well enough for you." The kid was on edge again in moments and he rubbed her back again, leaving her alone when her anxiety reappeared, or so he hoped she thought. "Why won't you show me your paintings?"

He threw her yet again with the odd topic change and he wondered if she was getting tired of it as much as he was. "My paintings? Why would you want to see them? They aren't very good and they don't look anything like the artwork that's popular here." She glanced over at them, her cheek finally leaving his shoulder. "I never could paint like that. Realism was never my strong point."

"Realism?" He asked in confusion.

"It's what artist on the Otherside call the popular form here. Everything is supposed to look perfect and true to life." She shrugged. "I tried it a couple times but I guess I don't think that way. It's hard for me and I always have to force it. It comes out horrible."

He turned her slightly so they could both look at the canvases. "But those aren't horrible?"

She frowned slightly. "No, I like them."

"But you think I won't." He stated.

"Yes… I mean no." She shook her head and clarified that. "No, I don't think you'll like them."

Humming he kissed the side of her head. "I want to see them."

"But-"

"Either that or we can go back to talkin' about why we're in this bed together."

She turned her head and looked at him like he had suddenly turned into a papay. "You can't be serious."

"I'm simply limiting your options to a rather extreme degree. So what's it goin' to be? The paintin's or talkin'? You only get to pick one." He goaded lightly.

She was utterly miffed by his whole attitude. "That's ridiculous. I'm not picking."

He flipped her so fast she didn't know what happened. One second she was in his lap and the next he had her pinned below him on the bed. "I guess we're talkin' then."

She jerked at the hold he had on her. "You let go of me right now, Cain."

He clucked his tongue. "That wasn't one of your options."

Her mouth dropped open as she gaped at him in disbelief. Never once in their entire relationship had he flat out refused to do something she asked short of dragging her out of a life-threatening situation. "I cannot believe the gall-"

"Believe it, Darlin'. You didn't pick so I did."

Her jaw clenched. "You are totally pissing me off!"

"Oh, am I?" He asked sarcastically. She jerked below him and he held her without much trouble. He was rather hoping she wouldn't resort to magic however, he really couldn't do much against that. After a moment he pressed his lips together. "Would you be still?"

"Why should I?" She demanded.

"How about because I asked? Can we please stop fightin' for a minute? I don't want to fight with you." He gentled his voice. "I don't know why you're so dead set on it when all I want to do is love on you."

She stilled below him but tugged at the hold he had on her wrists. "Let go of my arms please." He did what she asked, recognizing the unease at being held down. He wondered where that came from even as she settled back below him. "You want to love on me?" She asked quietly when she was free.

"Of course I do." He said with exasperation. "Why aren't you lettin' me be sweet to you?"

"Because I have abandonment issues, okay?" He wasn't familiar with that term but he figured his understanding was pretty close to whatever it really was. "I don't want you being sweet to me this morning when I knew very well we're never going to talk about this again. I just wanted one night with you alright? That's all I expect. You don't have to stay here being all noble about it. I'm not an idiot. I know nothing else is going to happen." She pressed her lips together briefly. "Are we done talking now?"

His frown only deepened at the information spewing out of her. "No." He answered, unsure if he were now more or less confused than before he knew what was going on in her head. "Kid, I'm not goin' anywhere. This may not have happened the way I would have preferred, but I'm not about to deny that I wanted it to." He caressed her jaw soothingly as he winced a bit. "Admittedly you had to bully me into it, but I wouldn't have let you unless it was what I really wanted." He eyed her. "I meant what I said last night about you bein' mine. I'm not lettin' you go, I don' tcare how stubborn you intend to get about this."

Her eyebrows came together in confusion. "You… you want to be in a relationship?"

He titled his head. "We've been in a relationship since we met."

"I mean you want to court me?"

"If you'll stop runnin' me in circles long enough for me to try." He tapped her cheek. "I'm tired of all this plottin'. Save it for the politicians, all it does is rile me up."

She went shrewd all at once, the acknowledgement that he had no intention of taking off sending her back into a safe haven where she could scheme some more. "I think you like to be riled up."

"I thought I told you to behave." He growled.

"Because I listen so well." She commented.

That had him smiling in amusement and he kissed her chastely. "What was I thinkin'?"

"I don't know." She answered. "What were you thinking?"

He considered that briefly. "I'm wondering if I can get this sheet off you."

She blushed. "Now?"

He raised an eyebrow. "It does seem rather ideal with us in your bed and my pants six feet that way." He indicated the pile of clothes scattered between the bed and the door.

Her blush deepened. "You saw me last night.

He was getting more and more enjoyment out of her strange modesty figuring the whiskey had given her a bit of liquid courage the previous night. "You didn't give me much of a chance to admire you last night. I thought I'd take the mornin' to do that."

She started hedging. "I think-"

He kissed her gently and pulled back about an inch. "DG, last night you shared somethin' with me that you never get to share again. I'm not sure what you possibly think you have to hide from me at this point."

"But it was dark." She said rather lamely.

He chuckled at that, his whole body shaking. "Yes, it was dark." He began to tug at the fabric carefully.

"I'm glad we can agree on that." She said as she tugged the sheet back in place.

He laughed again, kissing her warmly and enjoying this banter much more than the fighting. "I've touched every inch of you inside and out. Why won't you let me see you?"

Her face was pink all over. "I'm shy!"

He burst out laughing. "You're shy the way I'm docile. Let me see you, Deeg." He peeled the sheet away as he encouraged her. "Come on, Darlin'."

"Cain." She protested as she flushed pink.

Giving up on getting her out he tried to compromise. "If I can't see you can I get under there with you? I'm gettin' cold." That one worked for him and she allowed him to slip under the sheet with her. Before she could protest he slipped his arm around her and tugged her against his chest so they were facing one another. When he had her snug he kissed her gently. She smiled at him shyly when he broke away and he tucked her hair behind her ear. "I want to make a deal with you."

"What kind of deal?" She asked as she pressed into the hand he had running down her back.

"You stop limitin' my options to an extreme degree and let me love on you the way you deserve to be loved on, and I'll stop bein' a stubborn tin man where you're involved."

She eyed him critically. "For real?"

"For real." He said, using her own unique slang as he reached up to caress her cheek. "I'm pretty lost on you, but I'm gettin' tired of you loosin' me left and right. You let this settle between us the way it's supposed to instead of manipulatin' it and I promise we'll have a good time of it."

She threw out her own demands at once. "You don't get to turn off on me and you have to use my name, my real one." She played with the edge of the sheet again as she spoke and he noted the behavior as a nervous action. "Last night you asked what would make me happy. I want to be with you, I don't want to be your princess, that's what it's going to take."

He didn't point out that she was always going to be his princess because he understood what it was she needed from him. She needed him to be her equal or it would never work. She needed a man that would stand beside her, one that would stand up to her, and one that wasn't afraid to fight with her if he thought she was in the wrong. She needed him to keep her grounded the way he needed her to keep him smiling at ridiculous things. "That seems like a fair deal to me, DG." He smiled when she leaned in and kissed him.

"Okay then." She held her hand out and he chuckled as he took it and shook it firmly. "Deal."

"Now." He rolled her to her back before she knew what was happening. "If you'll let me I'd rather like to show you just how happy that deal made me." Her giggling was cut off when he kissed her and he was delighted when it transformed into a soft moan. Thinking all of this had gone a lot better than he anticipated, he slowly lowered himself over her as her hands began to explore him inquisitively. He sighed her name happily and she smiled at him as she kissed at his jaw line. Yes, this was much better than he anticipated. Now he could show her just how good they could be together, he could show her it was safe to let her guard down, and he could show her that he meant what he said being with her. He doubted it would be smooth sailing all the time, but he didn't mind weathering some typhoons every now and then. For now he was more than content to show her how good it could feel to be with him, because it felt damn near to perfect to be with her. Everything else they would work out later.

Author Note: Yay for short ones! Did everyone enjoy? And more happy news! The next Catalyst chapter is about half done! Wheeeee!


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